


I Think I Love You

by Loriela



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Catra is Bad at Feelings, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gift Exchange, Light Angst, She-ra winter gift exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:47:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22088863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loriela/pseuds/Loriela
Summary: Catra has been dealing with a strange feeling in her heart since she escaped Prime's ship. She doesn't understand it or like, but for some reason it gets worse around GlimmerFor the She-ra Winter Gift Exchange. The prompt was Glitra+"Shit I think I like you"
Relationships: Catra/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 125





	I Think I Love You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [halfdecenthumanbeing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfdecenthumanbeing/gifts).



Maybe it was the fear of death that had Catra’s heart racing, maybe it was the adrenaline that made the world slow down around her, maybe it was a sudden fear of being separated from the one ally she had in this cursed ship that made her grip Glimmer’s hand like this.

Lasers flew around them as they raced towards Mara’s ship; On one end of this corridor was freedom, on the other death, yet all that ran through Catra’s mind was how beautiful Glimmer looked as the fires of the exploding ship illuminated her face.

A hole had been blown open at the end of that corridor. Catra was grateful she wasn’t here when Prime’s ship was still outside Etheria’s atmosphere as she did not feel like taking a stroll in the cold nothingness of space. Beyond that hole, Mara’s ship awaited and on its entry ramp was Adora, her hand extended to catch them both. Catra had never been this happy to see Adora in her life.

They leapt towards the ramp, landing safely in Adora’s arms. It was over, they finally escaped, they were free. Catra hardly had any time to celebrate when she noticed a green beam of light flying towards Glimmer’s back and before she could even process what was happening she jumped in the way, taking the blast straight to the chest and in a moment the world went dark.

* * *

“I’m fine” Catra insisted, trying to get up from her uncomfortably soft bed “I’ve had worse”

“No, you’re not fine” Glimmer argued back, gently pushing Catra back down. It wasn’t nearly enough force to actually stop Catra, but she couldn’t find it in herself to push back against Glimmer, so she simply laid back down again. “Just rest, Catra”

“Whatever, Sparkles” Catra yielded, not wanting to upset the princess so soon after their great escape. “Shouldn’t you be out there with your friends, celebrating your return or whatever?”

“I’m spending time with a friend right now, aren’t I?” Glimmer answered, with a smile that made Catra’s heart race. What was Catra’s problem?

Ever since yesterday she had been feeling all weird around Glimmer. No, now that she thought about it she felt like that for a while, but only recently did it start getting intrusive like this. Now she couldn’t even touch Glimmer without getting distracted by how warm and soft she was and how much she wanted Glimmer to just hold her and- oh, Glimmer asked something she didn’t quite catch.

“What?” Catra asked, returning to reality.

“I asked if you were okay” Glimmer repeated “You didn’t say anything back and I got worried”

“I told you I’m fine,” Catra answered, perhaps a little more aggressively than she would have liked. “I just need some rest”

“Alright” Glimmer agreed, holding Catra’s hand for a moment before letting go - oh Catra did not want her to let go, ever - “I’ll let you get your rest then” Catra wished she didn’t feel this bad watching Glimmer go.

* * *

“This is ridiculous!” Catra protested, as Glimmer and Bow dragged her through the castle.

“Come on, Catra,” Bow insisted “don’t you wanna befriend all the other princesses?”

“Not really” She shrugged “I’m fine with being barely tolerated. I’m used to it by now”

“That may be how it worked in the Horde,” Glimmer argued “but in Bright Moon we all try to be friends”

“Sounds like too much effort” Catra joked “Can I go back to trying to kill you guys?” Glimmer shot her an annoyed glare. “Fine, I’ll do what you want” Catra conceded. It looked like ‘annoyed glares’ also had to be added to the ever growing list of things Glimmer did that got a rise out of Catra.

Catra was dragged into their war room and seated next to Adora. She gave Catra a tired look that seemed to say ‘they got you too?’ All the other princesses on the other hand seemed a lot more interested in what was about to happen. Catra was still unsure what they all gathered here for, but whatever that ‘bonding experience’ was she was pretty sure she was gonna hate it.

And she absolutely did, at first. All the princesses discussing their absolutely over the top and nonsensical ‘plans’ for defeating Horde Prime was extremely frustrating, but about half way through it all clicked. This was about the fantasy, about the perfect world where they could just magic Prime away, where they could all be great heroes in their own way.

Besides all that it was pretty fun to watch all the princesses different takes on her character. Some still saw her as some over the top villain begrudgingly helping them, some saw her as the hero she had the potential to be…and then there was Glimmer. Dresses were never Catra’s thing, but she would definitely consider wearing one if it got a reaction like that out of sparkles.

“Looks like it’s your turn, Catra” Adora said, handing Catra the weird paper screen thing they had been using.

“No no, I’m good just watching” Catra countered, getting ready to leave. She was not gonna take part in this

“Please” Adora asked, making puppy dog eyes.

“That is not gonna work on me, Adora” Catra declared

“Please!” Joined Glimmer and Bow

Catra sighed, grabbed that stupid screen and started narrating.

_Tall dark buildings stretched in the horizon until they pierced the stormy clouds above, the only light that illuminated the world was the lightning above and the neon from the city bellow. Residing atop the tallest of these buildings was the tyrant that turned the world into this bleak dystopia, Horde Prime._

_Sirens blared throughout the top floor of Prime’s spire, red warning lights illuminating every room and corridor as a battalion of clones mobilized, and at the heart of this chaos stood Catra, weaving and slashing through Prime’s defenses._

_“Catra, retreat and wait for reinforcements” Bow called on her communicator “You can’t face Prime on your own”_

_“Please” Catra laughed as her augmented body effortlessly dodged around a hail of bullets “Prime should be the one running now”_

_“Catra, please-” He tried again_

_“Tell our friends to pick up the pace” She said, muting Bow “They wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun”_

_As soon as Catra opened the door to Prime’s office she was sent flying back into the corridor by a massive explosion. Prime had been waiting for her. She ran back towards him, leaping around to avoid the spray gunfire he unleashed upon her. She landed feet first on his chest and pushed him back into the office._

_The battle that followed was long and bloody. Catra was fierce, fast, cunning, but Prime was stronger than she could’ve prepared for. Blow after blow he stayed standing and blow after blow Catra struggled to get back up. This was not a fight she could win alone and she had been a fool to believe so._

_Prime approached her now that she couldn’t get up anymore, ready to get rid of her for good, but before he could do anything, a blast of colorful light sent him flying against the back wall. Reinforcements had arrived. Glimmer was here._

_The princess confidently walked into the room and she was light and warmth and color, she was comfort and kindness and care, but she was fury, she was power and terror. She was beautiful and she was invincible._

“Is that how you see me?” Glimmer asked, blushing furiously

“What?” Shit, did Catra say all that outloud? She had to come up with something quick “No, I just thought you needed a little power trip after all that happened. Actually this whole game is just silly, let’s do something else” She hastily explained herself, getting up and dashing out of the room before anyone could stop her.

* * *

“Wildcat, can we talk?” Scorpia called, knocking on Catra’s door

“What do you want, Scorpia?” She asked, opening the door just a little

“It’s just that you’ve been such good friends with the queen lately and then you suddenly start avoiding her and acting weird around her and I just wanted to be sure you were doing okay” Scorpia explained. “Also I baked cookies” She continued, offering a plate of scorpion and cat shaped cookies. “Perfuma taught me!”

“I am not acting weird and I am not avoiding her. I am fine” Catra insisted, grabbing one of the cookies. She absolutely was avoiding Glimmer, but Scorpia didn’t have to know that. Catra took a bite of one of her cat shaped cookies. It was probably the best thing she had since they escaped Prime’s ship “You can stay here, but only until I’m done with the cookies.” Scorpia smiled at her, proud that Catra liked her cookies so much, and made her way into the room.

Catra’s room was modest, or at least as modest as a room in Bright Moon could ever be. She didn’t exactly have much in the way of decoration. In fact she even asked Glimmer to remove some excess, such as the overly soft bed that had now been replaced by a much more solid bunk. The waterfall had been removed as Catra complained that the constant sound was bound to drive her mad. What was left was a lot of open space for her to train and very few places for her and Scorpia to sit. Her bunk would have to do.

“So why were you avoiding the queen again?” Scorpia asked, completely ignoring Catra’s previous comment.

“I told you I’m not avoiding her” Catra repeated, grabbing another cookie.

“You know you can trust me, Catra” Scorpia insisted. “Just talk to me so I can help you through this” Catra groaned in response, flopping back onto the bed.Scorpia smiled at her, accepting this a sign of agreement.

“I’ve just been feeling weird around her, okay?” Catra admitted, grabbing the next cookie. “I kinda just rolled with it when we were stuck together. I mean, we only had each other back then and I couldn’t let something like that get in the way, but ever since we escaped I’ve just been feeling…” Catra trailed off, unsure of how to explain it.

“Anxious? Sweaty? Like your heart is gonna jump out of your throat? Like every second you spend away from her it’s a second you’ve wasted?” Scorpia eagerly offered, earning a suspicious look from Catra.

“How do you know?” Catra asked, wondering if the black garnet somehow made Scorpia a telepath.

“Aww, Catra, you’re in love!” Scorpia beamed

“Seriously? Me? In love with princess sparkles?” Catra couldn’t help but laugh

“I’m serious!” Scorpia defended “You should be more honest with yourself. Let yourself feel that stuff!”

“Alright, sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you,” Catra apologized “but I’m not in love with Glimmer. I promise” She assured her. “Now go spend some time with flower princess, I’m sure she already misses you”

She got Scorpia out of the room before she could continue that uncomfortable line of questioning,. letting out a sigh of relief as soon as her door closed. Love? Scorpia must be out of her mind if she seriously believed Catra was in love with Glimmer.

Catra returned to her bed just to find that she forgot the plate of cookies there and it still had a cookie left. It was one of the cat shaped ones and it was covered in pink and purple sprinkles. That was kinda cute, she thought to herself, did this little cat have a little sparkly princess just like her?

Just like her?

“Shit!”

* * *

The war would not wait for her silly little drama. Prime still lived and while he did Etheria was in danger. Fighting him and protecting the people of their world was priority one, confessing her crush to Glimmer could wait. Catra was definitely not looking forward to that conversation.

The battlefield suited Catra better than the halls of Bright Moon. It was chaotic, it was dangerous, and it was just like her. It was strange that in this mess, where a single misstep could cost her her life, she had more peace of mind than while resting next to the girl she apparently loved. She could think about things from a removed perspective.

She was considering the best moment to bring this up to Glimmer, as she absent mindedly tossed a clone against another with her new whip. It was a gift from Glimmer, a replacement for the one she destroyed. It was obviously just a way to make her more effective in combat again, but part of her dared hope it was a sign of friendship or maybe even- No! A removed perspective, Catra, she thought to herself. You can’t let this distract you.

She shook her head, trying to get herself to focus again. But before she could process what was happening, a bright pink light surrounded her and next thing she knew she landed ass first on the ground. Glimmer landed on top of her, and the sickening smell of charred flesh assaulted her nostrils.

“I guess we’re even now” Glimmer joked through the pain, her voice strained. Catra was in shock, unsure of what to do.

“Glimmer, please stay with me” Catra pleaded, her voice cracking

“Heh” Glimmer chuckled, not completely there anymore “I like how my name sounds when you say it…”

“Glimmer, you idiot” Catra laughed, but tears filled her eyes. She didn’t even see the enemy forces approaching until something else blew them all up.

“I’ll take her to safety” Bow called, taking Glimmer away from her “Cover our way out!”

That she could do. She wiped away her tears, turned to face the approaching clones, and this time all she saw was red.

* * *

“Funny being on the other side of this” Glimmer joked, laying on her bed with Catra by her side.

“Funny? You nearly killed me” Catra complained, earning a giggle from Glimmer

“Last I checked I saved you” She argued, her smile constant even through the pain in her back “What even got you distracted like that?”

“It was nothing,” Catra deflected, looking away “it won’t happen again” It was her fault, if Catra hadn’t been so distracted none of this would happen. If Catra hadn’t opened the portal, if Catra fled with Adora, if Catra just- Glimmer hugged her, it felt warm and soft and Cata wished she could stay like that forever.

“It’s not your fault” Glimmer assured her “You just have a lot on your mind”

Glimmer was wrong, Catra only had one thing on her mind and it was her.

“Hey, I should be the one comforting you right now!” Catra argued, trying to sound confident. She failed.

“This is not my first time almost dying” Glimmer admitted, breaking the hug to look into Catra’s eyes “And I would do it again to save the people I… care for”

“When I pull that kind of shit it’s usually to make things worse for people” Catra confessed. Memories of the portal still haunted her nightmares.

“You’re better than that now” Glimmer reassured Catra, holding her hand “You saved me twice now”

“And I tried to kill you how many times before?” Catra argued. She did not deserve all this kindness.

“It doesn’t matter” Glimmer insisted “That is all in the past”

“Why are you so forgiving?” Catra asked weakly “After all I’ve done…”

“Because I messed it up too” Glimmer admitted “And if I can’t forgive you how can I hope for anyone to forgive me” Suddenly these last few weeks made so much sense to Catra. In a strange way they were each other’s roads to redemption, their path to happiness. Was this why she fell in love with Glimmer?

“Glimmer,” Catra called and the princess perked up, looking up at Catra’s eyes again. Was she looking at her lips before? That thought filled her with some more confidence for what she was about to do “Thank you for forgiving me” No, that was not what she wanted to say.

“Thank you for helping me forgive myself” Glimmer answered, showing a weaker side Catra hadn’t seen since their time in that cell. Glimmer leaned forward to hug her again, but Catra stopped her. She wanted to look her in the eyes when she said this.

“Glimmer, the reason why I’ve been so distracted lately and why I’ve been avoiding you,” Catra stopped to take a deep breath, she could do this “is because I’ve been having…feelings for you,” Catra mentally berated herself, how was she so bad at this? “and I’ve been afraid of those feelings. I’ve been afraid that you’d reject me and that rejection was all I deserved, but you’ve been so good to me and I just-”

“Catra.” Glimmer interrupted. That was it. Glimmer was gonna put an end to Catra’s bullshit, but at least she would have some closure. It was all she could ask for “May I kiss you?” The question caught Catra by surprise.

“What?” She asked, completely confused

“May I kiss you?” Glimmer repeated and only then Catra understood what just happened.

“Yes!” Catra wanted to play it cool, but her stupid heart no longer had any patience for that.

Glimmer leaned close again, their lips finally meeting and for the first time in months Catra finally relaxed, her fears and regrets melting away as she kissed Glimmer back and if she could do this for the rest of her life she would happily do so. When they finally broke apart Glimmer giggled.

“What?” Catra asked, with the brightest smile she had in ages.

“It’s nothing, I just,” She stopped, trying to calm down her laughter “I think I love you”

Catra kissed her again.

“I think I love you too”

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this mess and want more quality SPOP content go check out [shera-dnd.tumblr.com](https://shera-dnd.tumblr.com/)


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